In early childhood mental health, bilingual counselors in short supply

May 2, 2016

Director of Educational Effectiveness Dr. Virginia Quiñónez was interviewed in this Catalyist Chicago article addressing the shortage of bilingual and culturally competent mental health providers for Latinos, and the negative impact it can have on Latino adults and youth with mental health issues.
“We need to get mental health providers who understand their clients, and that starts with getting someone who speaks their language,” Quiñónez said…“Clients saying that they saw a spirit can lead them to be diagnosed with a serious mental health disorder, when it is common with Latinos to see this as a way of being connected to relatives who may have passed away,” she said. “It is a misdiagnosis because of the lack of understanding.”

About Dr. QuiñónezVirginia Quiñónez, Psy.D. is currently the director of Educational Effectiveness and was formerly the chair of the Counseling Department at The Chicago School from 2004 to 2013. During her tenure as chair, she highlighted the need for culturally competent training for and about Latinos and helped establish The Center for Latino/a Mental Health and a curricular concentration embedded in the masters program.